Ronaldo ripe for return in Champions opener
Madrid begins campaign for third straight title against Nicosia r 5PUUFOIBN IPTUT %PSUNVOE
Cristiano Ronaldo is eager to return to action as he prepares for his first start of the season when Real Madrid begins its Champions League defense on Wednesday against APOEL Nicosia, coach Zinedine Zidane said on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who was the top goalscorer in Europe’s elite competition last season for the fifth consecutive year and scored twice in the 4-1 win over Juventus in the final, has been starved of football so far this season due to a long suspension.
The Portuguese was given a five-game ban for being sent off and pushing a referee in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona in August, leading him to miss Real’s first three Liga games and next week’s trip to Real Sociedad, but he is clear to face Cypriot champion APOEL.
“He’s in a very good mood and is very happy to play, because this is what he really loves, playing football, but he’s also right mentally and he’s happy to be on the pitch again,” Zidane told a news conference.
Ronaldo’s return boosts Real’s attack after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Levante on Saturday, its second successive home draw which left Real trailing early Liga leaders Barcelona and Real Sociedad by four points.
“We all know how good Cristiano is and I prefer him to be with us all the time. We can’t talk about Cristiano-dependence, I want everyone to be available all the time,” added the Frenchman.
“Cristiano doesn’t just contribute goals, he’s a leader, he always wants to win and he transmits that to everyone else. We’re all excited to have him back with us.”
As well as Ronaldo, Zidane is set to recall Luka Modric and Keylor Navas after resting them to his side’s cost against Levante, although Karim Benzema is out for at least a month with a hamstring injury.
Zidane was critical of his side after their display at the weekend, but said he and his players were relaxed despite drawing backto-back league games for the first time in a year.
“The same thing happened last year so we’re not worried at all, the opposite,” said Zidane, who is the first coach to successfully defend the European Cup since 1990 and has won seven trophies since taking charge of Real in January 2016.
“We can’t be happy with the results, especially the last one, but we’re not going to change the way we work, just as we didn’t last year. You’re always going to have a few bad results in a season,” he said.
Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said English clubs find it hard to succeed in Europe because the Premier League is their top priority. Pochettino was speaking ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Manchester United’s Europa League triumph last season was the first time in four years that an English side had lifted a European trophy, after Chelsea won the same competition in 2013, having conquered the Champions League the previous year.
Real Madrid has dominated the Champions League in recent years, winning three of the last four competitions, with its Spanish rival Barcelona and Germany’s Bayern Munich the only other winners since Chelsea’s triumph.
Pochettino said the recent lack of English success was the result of teams based in Europe focusing more on European competition than their Premier League counterparts.
“When you are here, the Premier League is the main competition for every player,” the Argentine told a news conference on Tuesday. “In Italy, France and Spain the Champions League is the most important competition, but in English culture, it is the Premier League and then the FA Cup.” (Reuters)